Christian Living

Trying to be saved by keeping the law and being saved by grace are two entirely different approaches. Christ’s provision for our salvation will not help us if we are trying to save ourselves. Obeying the law does not make it any easier for God to save us. All we can do is accept His grace through faith.

Keywords: believe, faith, flesh, grace, his righteousness jesus is enough, john 3:16, mission to amish people, motives of heart, obeying the law, read bible, romans 11:6, salvation, salvation by grace through faither law, works  |   0 comments

In the parable of the sower and the seed that Jesus told, the seed is the word of God. All of the seed sown was good. The problem was the condition of the soil—the heart. How is your heart? Is your heart prepared to hear from God? Are you seeking Him? Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy.

Keywords: condition, heart, hosea 10:12, mission to amish people, now, parable of the sower, paul miller, prepare your heart, seed, seek the lord, word of god  |   0 comments

I believe that most, if not all, who have left the Amish and our parents, live life with a spirit of rebellion. And truthfully, if we had not been carrying some of that rebellion back in the day, we would not have left our culture in the first place. It is that rebellion that caused us to throw our arms up and say "I had enough _______________", and you can fill in the blank. Those who give in and yield to their parents and the rules of the Amish church are still at home and, well, life goes on for them.

Keywords: anger, argumentive, bitterness, depression, joe keim, rebellion, stubbornness, undisciplined, unteachable  |   2 comments

Do you consider yourself a thankful person? What I mean is, when was the last time you stopped, looked someone in the eyes, and said, “Thank you?” When was the last time you sat down and wrote a heartfelt note to a friend or spouse using those powerful and amazing words, “Thank you for what you did for me”? What about God? Do you appreciate Him for all He does for you? Do you tell Him thank you? How many years has He provided you with food? Breath? Protection? Health? Finances? Family? Love? Roof over your head? Job?

Keywords: anger, appreciate, are you a thankful person, depression, glorify, joe keim, mission to amish people, positive, romans 1:21, self, self-centerdness, thank you, thankful, unthankful  |   3 comments

In October 2013, we decided to fly to Minneapolis-St Paul and then drive to Wisconsin to visit. As we sat in the boarding area waiting for our plane, the pilot and crew walked by. I wondered what the crew would have thought if we had strapped parachutes to our backs as we boarded the plane. Wouldn’t their first reaction be: these people don’t trust our flying? Yet that is exactly what I see some who call themselves believers do! We know salvation is by grace, but to be safe, we add a lot of works that are designed (in our own minds) to please God. Now good works are not a bad thing, but we cannot base our trust in God on two different systems. Either Jesus is sufficient or He is not. The function of safety lines and life preservers is to help when other means fail. Things that fail need the extra backup device.

Keywords: 2 corinthians 5:17, eli stutzman, faith, john 14:6, mission to amish people, parahutes and safety lines, salvation, trust, works  |   1 comments

I felt as if I had to work like crazy for every spiritual breakthrough I got, requiring a much higher standard than others, with God requiring perfection before blessing Imagine a wall. It needs to be torn down.

Keywords: bitterness, false religion, god is good, lack of trust, lack of vision, lay down defenses, norma miller, perfection, push down, true intimacy, unbelief, unfair, wall, walls  |   0 comments

"The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. This was Jesus' message in Luke 10 to the seventy disciples as He sent them out: heal the sick and preach the good news. Those few words were not hard to remember. Nothing about repentance or salvation was said at this time. Thus began the sending of groups of people to speak the gospel to those outside of their community.

Keywords: amish, eli stutzman, good news, kingdom of god, luke 10, mission to amish people, missionary, romans 10:13-15  |   0 comments

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). This morning I went to our school for Grandparent's Day since Mark's parents (my in-laws) were able to come from Indiana to be with our school-age children. During worship we sang the song, "I'm Trading My Sorrows." It says, "I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame. . . . I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my pain, and I'm layin' them down for the joy of the Lord."

Keywords: 2 corinthians 4:8-10, amish, distressed, lynn miller, mission to amish people, opposition, sorrows, troubled, trust, will not fear what man can do  |   0 comments

Dear Friend, I have been receiving your publication, The Amish Voice, for some time. Your publication has a lot to say about justification through faith only. This last one's title was "The Fivefold Appeal to be Justified by Faith Alone." In reading Hebrews chapter 11, the old patriarchs or elders through faith obtained a good report (verse 2). Ironically, it (the good report) came about through the works they did through that faith. Noah in verse 7 says, "By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." How do we know he had faith? I believe it is because of his works that we know he had faith, and the two together need to be evident.

Keywords: amish, amish voice, born again, good news, hebrews 11, justification through faith alone, mission to amish people, noah, paul miller, salvation, saving grace, traditions, works  |   1 comments

God has been working in my heart recently regarding relationships and respect. Did you know that we teach others how to treat us? Now, wait just a minute, before we take this the wrong way. We can all think of ways we'd love to teach others how to treat us, but those ways would not be beneficial at all. In fact, the results are actually contrary to what we think they will be. This little principle operates using the Golden Rule. If someone has treated me disrespectfully, my natural, human response might be to withdraw (or even to give them a little of their own medicine), because it doesn't feel very safe to be around someone like that.

Keywords: amish, golden rule, heart, mission to amish people, norma miller, relationships, respect  |   0 comments

We all have our own ideas of what we think love is. The apostle Paul writes this on the expression of love: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things (I Corinthians 13:4-7).

Keywords: acts 17:28-29, amish, god is love, i corinthians 13:4-7, love, marvin hershberger, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

As church goers and claimers of the Christian faith, I'm sure we have heard of the Holy Spirit. But how many of us can really claim to know the Holy Spirit? Even if we claim to know Him, how many of us are experiencing Him in our day to day lives? Is the Holy Spirit real to you? Have you ever sat and talked with Him like you might talk to a spouse or very dear friend? Does He speak to you?

Keywords: (galatians 5:16-25), (john 14:16-17), (john 3:3-6), 2 peter 1:20-21, amish, born of the spirit, holy spirit, joe keim, mission to amish people, new birth, third person in the trinity  |   1 comments

Life is like a journey where we learn a lot of lessons to prepare us for the life to come. These lessons come as experiences and tests along the way. God says that if we are faithful over a few things, He will make us ruler over many things.

Keywords: amish, change, god, heart, lessons, life is like a journey, map ministry, mission to amish people, norma miller, tests, unconditional love  |   0 comments

I believe we have entered a crucial time of decisions. The decisions being made today are setting the stage for our eternal rewards-or the lack of them. The final harvest is upon us. We see this depicted in the church of Laodicea as this article will show.

Keywords: amish, ben girod, joel 3:14-15, laodicean church age, multitudes in the valley of decision, valley of decision  |   0 comments

When we seek our own things first, and try to put them before our children, husband, or God, we only end up spinning our wheels and becoming exhausted.

Keywords: children, christian living, husband, map ministries, mission to amish people, mom, motherhood, norma miller, parents  |   0 comments

In the great coming harvest, God will be calling forth an untold multitude that He has been grooming in the wilderness. These unknown men and women, coming from the most unlikely places, will go into the fields boldly, bringing in the harvest.

Keywords: amish voice, anabaptist, ben girod, bible discussion, god, harvest, map ministry, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

Jonathan Edwards wrote this about pride over 250 years ago: Pride is much more difficult to discern than any other corruption because, by nature, pride is a person having too high a thought of himself. Is it any surprise, then, that a person who has too high a thought of himself is unaware of it? He thinks the opinion he has of himself has just grounds and therefore is not too high. As a result, there is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable. The very nature of it is to work self-confidence and drive away any suspicion of evil respecting itself.

Keywords: bible discussion, eli stutzman, humility, james 4:6, jonathan edwards, mission to amish people, nebuchadnezzar, pride, satan, uzziah  |   0 comments

Throughout Christian history, no event stands out as sharply as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many in that day could not believe that such an event really took place. In all the funerals you and I have witnessed, death has always been final. Simple reasoning tells us that the resurrection is impossible. But God had a plan. Death would lose its sting, and the grave would lose its victory.

Keywords: amish voice, bible discussion, death, eli stutzman, map ministry, mission to amish people, resurrection  |   0 comments

Times are tough right now, and many of us are learning to distinguish what we really need from what we merely want. Many of us need to wait when we would like to DO something, like buy flowers or clothes. Sometimes we are at the end of the money, but not nearly at the end of the needs. Then one more need occurs to make the situation look even more impossible. Sometimes we become anxious and worried, and our blood pressure rises, and we cry out, "God, what are we going to do?"

Keywords: amish voice, believe, christian living, faith, headship, lynn miller, map ministry, mission to amish people, provision, seek, worry  |   0 comments

To know just how much the Lord loves us, we need to take a look at what love really is. Quickly: what is the opposite of love? Like nearly everyone else, you probably said, “Hate is the opposite of love.” Actually, according to 1 John 4:18 fear is what we have when we don’t have love. ...but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. “Really? Fear?” you say. Think about it. Because God is love, if we don’t have Him, what do we have?

Keywords: amish voice, bible discussion, enemies, fear, jeremiah martin, love, map ministry, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

“Mother, we are planting good seed here, aren’t we?” “Why, yes,” Sadie answered. “It’s the same seed that always yields praise-winning produce.” “That’s just it. In Genesis I read that God made everything to produce fruit after its own kind. Can’t I believe that if I read God’s holy Word that it will help me produce godly fruit?

Keywords: amish voice, bible studies, christian living, christianity, fruit, harvest, lydia chorpening, map ministry, mission to amish people, promises, scripture  |   0 comments

Defining faith as it pertains to a Christ-based belief can be a challenging task. What faith means to one person is not necessarily what it means to another. After centuries of Christendom, there are as many definitions of faith as there are denominations or even people.

Keywords: amish voice, faith, leander keim  |   0 comments

We would do well to pause for a time from our many activities and consider where we stand in our spiritual life, to see whether or not we've made any progress in the last year, or years.

Keywords: amish voice, church, felty yoder  |   0 comments

The apostle Peter wrote his second epistle to stir up the people's pure minds by way of remembrance (2 Peter 3:1). My heart's intent, as I begin to write this letter, is to stir up the minds of God's people, especially the brethren among the Amish and other Anabaptist descendants who attempt to preserve the faith of our forefathers.

Keywords: amish voice, duane troyer, revival  |   0 comments

Since the Bible clearly states "Thou shalt not kill", how can going to war and killing be justified?

Keywords: is war wrong, joe keim, mission to amish people, what does the bible say about war  |   5 comments

Faith is invisible. You cannot see it. Therefore, we, as men and women have to watch and see what kind of works flow from the one who says s/he has faith. As mere human, we can only judge by their actions. Actions then confirm whether that person's faith is real. In James 2:18 we read: "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

Keywords: joe keim, justified by faith alone, justified by works, mission to amish people, salvation  |   5 comments

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Wouldn't it be great to live a life with all of these wonderful characteristics coming from within you on a daily basis? What would a life filled with constant and overflowing joy look like? Do you know someone who walks in complete peace, regardless of the turmoil that is going around them? How about that gentle person in your life?

Keywords: amish voice, chrlistian living, fruit of the spirit, joe keim, map ministry, mission to amish people  |   1 comments

The book of Galatians is one of those books of the Bible that has been of tremendous influence in my life. In the other letters to the churches, specifically 1 and 2 Corinthians and Colossians, Paul wrote concerning immoral practices that needed to be purged from the church. The church at Galatia had a different problem. It was the same thing that so often happens when churches lose their spiritual zeal: they default to legalism. Martin Luther said, "Religion is the default mode of the human heart." Religion enslaves, and the pure gospel of Jesus Christ sets us free. Anyone, regardless of birth or creed, can be set free.

Keywords: amish, eli stutzman, former amish, map ministry, mission to amish, revival  |   0 comments

Many believers have very little to do with God outside of their time in church on Sunday morning. Very few churchgoers seem to have a good understanding of scripture and, in fact, not many even take their Bible to church. The preacher can tell them almost anything and they will nod their heads in agreement. After the service, it is often hard to find people who are interested in discussing biblical matters as their interests are more in whatever else is going on in the world and in their lives.

Keywords: amish, christian living, former amish, map ministry, mick alexander, mission to amish people, sunday christians  |   0 comments

It is November; the leaves are mostly down, and we are busily raking them. The smell of smoke can often be found in the air. The crisp outdoors gives us a sense of foreboding...cold, wintry days are on their way and will soon be upon us. We feel the urgency of preparing so we are not caught unaware.

Keywords: amish, amish voice, inspirational, map ministry, mission to amish people, norma miller  |   0 comments